Child&#39;s playroom ride



Oct. 13, 1959 c. E. BECRAFT CHILD'S PLAYROOM RIDE 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed July 9, 1957 Char/es E. Becraff V IN VEN TOR. BY mg,

2 Sheets-Shed 2 C. E. BECRAFT CHILDS PLAYROOM RIDE Oct. 13, 1959 Filed July 9, 1957 Fig.3

I r l2 v 20 i Q o 78 0 0 Fig. 2

' V 70 Q 74 l 68 Q 24 24 Char/es E. Bea/aft INVENTOR. 2a 30 32 BY fl 36 w W Attorneys United States Patent CHILDS PLAYROOM RIDE Charles E. Becraft, Eugene, Oreg.

Application July 9, 1957, Serial No. 670,667

2 Claims. (Cl. 272-1) The present invention generally relates to a ride device for children and more particularly to a ride device specifically adapted for use indoors such as in a playroom but which may be employed outdoors if desired in that the device is highly entertaining to children and requires a certain amount of coordination between the two occupants of the ride device in that the device is actuated in the same manner as a conventional seesaw, that is, by alternate upward thrusts being provided by alternate occupants of the device.

An object of the present invention is to provide a ride for children incorporating a pair of vertically movable seats with the seats being simultaneously movable in opposite vertical directions by the occupants of the seats thereby providing a highly amusing and entertaining ride device.

A further important feature of the present invention is to provide a childs playroom ride in which movement of the occupants is limited by a safety limit with the entire construction being extremely simple, yet rugged, long lasting, highly entertaining, well adapted for its particular purposes and relatively inexpensive to manufacture.

These together with other objects and advantages which will become subsequently apparent reside in the details of construction and operation as more fully hereinafter described and claimed, reference being had to the accompanying drawings forming a part hereof, wherein like numerals refer to like parts throughout, and in which:

Figure 1 is a side elevational view of the invention;

Figure 2 is a longitudinal, vertical sectional view taken substantially upon a plane passing along section line 22 of Figure 1 illustrating certain of the details of construction of the invention;

Figure 3 is a transverse, plan sectional view taken substantially upon a plane passing along section line 33 of Figure 1 illustrating the construction of the vertical guide tracks and the carriage or framework mounted thereon;

Figure 4 is a detailed sectional view taken substantially upon the plane passing along section line 44 of Figure 1 illustrating the seat construction and the framework therefor; and

Figure 5 is a detailed sectional view taken on an enlarged scale and substantially upon a plane passing along.

section line 55 of Figure 1 showing further structural details of the guide mechanism for the seats as well as the mechanism for attaching the seat to the movable flexible member.

Referring now specifically to the drawings, the numeral generally designates the ride of the present invention which incorporates an enlarged base 12 having four upstanding standards 14 rigidly connected thereto with the standards preferably being constructed of wood but which may be constructed of other materials. The upper ends of the four standards 14 are interconnected by a top plate 16 with a top plate 16 being provided for each pair of standards. The top edges of the top plates 16 are interconnected by cross plates 18 thus interconnecting the pairs of standards and retaining the four standards in 2,908,498 Patented Oct. 13, 1959 vertical spaced parallel relation with the standards being arranged as clearly shown in Figure 3.

Extending through the top plates 16 is a support axle 20 for a pulley or sheave 22 wherein the pulley 22 is rotatably journaled between the top plates 16.

Disposed adjacent the base 12 is a pair of movable cross members 24 which bridge the distance between the pairs of standards 14 and are generally disposed in parallel relation to the top plates 16. Each of the cross members 24 is provided with a recessed or cut-out area 26 on the inner corner thereof for sliding engagement with the inner surface and outer surface of the respective standards 14 whereby the cross members 24 may slide vertically in relation to the standards 14. A transverse axle 28 interconnects the cross members 24 and a pulley or sheave 30 is supported thereon whereby the pulley or sheave 30 is in vertical alignment with the pulley 22 and is journaled between the cross members 24 for vertical movement therewith. For moving the cross members 24 and the pulley 30, a pair of depending brackets 32 is connected to the cross members 24 and positioned over the transverse axle 28 with the lower ends of the brackets 32 having an outwardly extending lug 34 with a bolt 36 extending through the flange 34 and the base 12 whereby the bolt 36 may be selectively tightened for raising and lowering the pulley 30 thus tensioning a flexible cable 38 which encircles the pulleys 22 and 30 for maintaining the run of the cable between the pulleys in spaced parallel vertical condition during movement of the cable 38 on the pulleys 22 and 30.

Each side of each of the vertical standards 14 is provided with a channel shaped guide 40 with the inner of the guides facing each other and the outer of the guides facing outwardly of the device. Vertically slidable on the guides is a carriage generally designated by numeral 42 having a seat 44 supported thereon with the seathaving a narrowedinner portion 46 having an upstanding T-shaped handle 48 rigid. therewith. The inner end of the seat 44 is provided with an inwardly projecting lug 50 with an L-shaped bracket-52 mounted thereon with the vertical leg of the bracket 52 having an eyebolt 56 extending therethrough with the eye 58 of the eyebolt encircling the cable 38. An adapter 60 is provided for engaging the inner surface of the cable and the adjacent surface of the upstanding leg of the bracket 52 for securely clamping the seat 44 to the cable 38. The eyebolt 56 is provided with a clamp nut 62 and the eye 58 may be partially open at its inner circumference so that after the nut 62 has been removed and the adapter 60 removed, the eyebolt 58 may be removed from the cable 38.

The framework of the carriage 42 includes a pair of forwardly extending brackets or straps 64 attached to the forward edge of the seat and extending perpendicularly across the outer sides of the standards 14. Spaced rearwardly from the forward edge of the seat 44 is provided a pair of downwardly inclined straps or bracket 66 which terminate adjacent the outer side edge of the standards 14 with the straps 64 and 66 being interconnected by 'a connecting strap 68 all of which cooperate to form a rigid framework. Extending between the straps 64 on either side of a pair of the standards 14 is an axle 70 and ex tending between the ends of the straps 66 is an axle 72 with a pair of rollers 74 on the axle 70 and a pair of rollers 76 on the axle 72 with the rollers 74 being in engagement with the inwardly facing channels with the rollers 76 being in engagement with the outwardly facing channels with the rollers 76 being disposed in a horizontal plane below the horizontal plane of the rollers 74 whereby the engagement of the rollers 74 and 76 with the tracks 40 together with the clamping engagement between the cable and the front edge of the seat will guide the movement of the seat in a vertical manner whereby the path of movement of the seat will be continuously vertical or in an up and down movement.

For limiting the upward movement of the seat or carriage 42 there is provided a downwardly opening lug member 78 on each standard 14 adjacent the upper end thereof with the downwardly opening lug member 78 adapted to receive the straps 64 and limit the movement of the seat 44 to a predetermined maximum as illustrated in Figure l. V

The operation of the device generally includes the seats being occupied by a child whereby the alternate occupants will exert upward pressure or force by contacting their feet with the supporting surface or base 12 and urging themselves upwardly wherein the seats 44 will move up and down in opposite directions simultaneously somewhat in the nature of a seesaw but with true vertical motion.

The foregoing is considered as illustrative only of the principles of the invention. Further, since numerous modifications and changes will readily occur to those skilled in the art, it is not desired to limit the invention to the exact construction and operation shown and described, and accordingly all suitable modifications and equivalents may be resorted to, falling within the scope of the invention as claimed.

What is claimed as new is as follows:

1. A playroom ride device propelled by the occupants comprising an enlarged supporting base, a pair of vertically extending standards mounted rigid with said base and disposed in spaced parallel relation, interconnecting plates extending between the standards at the upper and lower ends thereof, a pair of spaced and vertically aligned pulleys rotatably mounted on said interconnecting plates, an endless flexible member encircling said pulleys, each of said standards having an inner and outer track, a seat extending perpendicularly from each of said standards, a pair of rollers mounted on said seat and engaging the inner trackway, a pair of rollers mounted on each of said seats and engaging the outer of said trackways, the outer pair of rollers on each seat being disposed vertically below the inner pair of rollers for supporting the seat and conteracting downward movement of the outer end of the seat thereby guiding the vertical movement of the seat on the standards, means connecting said seat to the flexible member for movement therewith, said seats overlying said base so that occupants of the seats by alternately exerting downward thrust on the base will cause the seats to move up and down in opposite directions, and means on each standard for engagement with the seat for limiting the upward movement thereof.

2. A playroom ride device comprising an enlarged base, an upstanding support frame rigidly mounted on said base, a pair of inwardly facing channel-shaped tracks mounted on said frame, a pair of outwardly facing channel-shaped tracks mounted on said frame, said tracks being vertically disposed and in spaced paralel relation with the inwardly facing tracks being disposed in adjacent and aligned relation and with the outwardly facing tracks being disposed outwardly of the inwardly facing tracks, a pair of vertically spaced and aligned pulleys rotatably mounted on said frame with the rotational centers thereof located between the inwardly facing tracks, an endless flexible line member encircling said pulleys with the vertical runs of the line member being parallel with the tracks, a horizontally disposed seat means mounted on each vertical run of said line member for simultaneous movement in opposite vertical directions whereby the occupants of the seat means may propel the device by alternately exerting upward vertical thrust with their feet when the seat means approach the base, each of said seat means including inner roller means rollingly engaging the inwardly facing track and outer roller means rollingly engaging the outwardly facing track, the outer roller means being disposed below the inner roller means with the vertical spacing of the roller means counteracting downward twisting of the seat means thereby retaining the seat means in horizontal position, and stop means mounted adjacent the upper end of said frame and disposed in the path of movement of the seat means for limiting the upward movement of the seat means.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 

